A high-speed police chase in Long Beach ended in a violent crash Monday night, with a suspect reportedly trapped in a mangled car who was inside asking for help from police.
Four people, including two suspects, were injured and hospitalized.
At 5:27 p.m., police attempted to stop a possibly stolen vehicle near Fourth Street and Cerritos Avenue near downtown Long Beach.
The male driver failed to yield the right of way to officers and crashed near Fourth Street and Cherry Avenue, less than a mile from where the pursuit began, Long Beach Police Department spokesperson Hannah Ortiz said.
Preliminary investigation found that the suspect, being chased by police, ran a red light while driving east on Fourth Street at Cherry Avenue and was struck by another car traveling south on Cherry Avenue.
Multiple vehicles were damaged in a crash following a police chase in Long Beach Monday night.
(KTLA)
“The impact of the collision caused the suspect vehicle to collide with three unparked cars,” Ortiz said.
Immediately following the collision, the driver of the stolen vehicle allegedly exited the vehicle and fled on foot. The man was found near the 200 block of Florida Street and was taken into custody.
The passenger of the suspected stolen vehicle was trapped inside and yelled to police that he was injured and couldn’t get out of the vehicle, KTLA reported. The man was rescued by Long Beach police, and he and the driver were taken to the hospital with upper-body injuries that were not life-threatening.
A person waves from a damaged car during an incident in Long Beach Monday night.
(Live TV)
The driver and passenger of the struck car (who was not involved in the pursuit) were also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Ortiz said the driver and passengers of the allegedly stolen car were awaiting medical examinations as they awaited booking fees.
The department declined to provide the identities of the victims and suspects; the investigation remains ongoing.
